Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jun 24: The tussle to get projected as the next chief minister (CM) of Karnataka is heating up between Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, D K Shivakumar, and leader of the legislature party, Siddaramaiah. The Congress high command is expected to intervene to resolve the situation arising out of this friction.
MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, said that the party will win between 130 and 150 seats if the election is fought under the leadership of Siddaramaiah. He said that the Congress leaders will join together and meet the high command to pressurize the central leadership to project Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister.
Siddaramaiah (left) and D K Shivakumar
Another MLA Rayappa, remarked that Shivakumar has age on his side and therefore he can wait. He favoured Siddaramaiah to become the next chief minister.
Shivakumar in the meantime said that he is not in a hurry to become the CM and his priority is to bring the party back to power. He said that the race is to bring down the BJP government and restore the power back to the Congress party. He added that he is ready to become a stepping stone to see his party rising to power.
The party high command is likely to summon Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi for personal discussions. The party is thinking of instructing them to ask their supporters not to make any public statements on the issue. There is also the likelihood of the disciplinary committee of the party serving notices to MLAs who have discussed this matter in public.
MP D K Suresh, said that the genuine Congressmen and their leaders wholeheartedly work to strengthen the party's organizational set up while those who migrated from other parties create confusion. He said that it is up to the national leadership to take action. State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, said that there is fight between the original Congressmen and those who migrated from other parties as the original Congressmen are not accepting Siddaramaiah's leadership.